Registering to vote for the first time

SOMERSET — Student Michael Valley registered to vote during the lunch period at Somerset Berkley Regional High School last Thursday.

George Austin

SOMERSET — Student Michael Valley registered to vote during the lunch period at Somerset Berkley Regional High School last Thursday.

"It's important so you have control over the government," Valley said, noting that means supporting candidates who have similar positions on issues. "You can vote for people for the government who will do what you want. I like politics."

Somerset Town Clerk Dolores Berge set up an area in the cafeteria of the high school where students who have turned 18 years old could register to vote during their lunch periods. Thirty students registered to vote during the session. If the students were going away to college this year, Ms. Berge gave them some information on how to vote by absentee ballots. She said more students registered to vote last Thursday than she thought would.

"I think that it's important that younger adults get more involved in their civic obligation that's available to them," Ms. Berge said. "They are our future."

In the cafeteria, Ms. Berge and registrar Joseph Costa helped to register people to vote, as did seleectmen's candidate Steven Moniz and one of his campaign organizers, Gen Andrade. Alexandria Murphy, a student at the high school, volunteered to walk around the cafeteria and ask seniors about registering to vote. Miss Somerset, Courtney Stern, also attended to help promote students registering to vote. Students who registered to vote were given free bags of chips.

Next year, Ms. Berge said she would like to have an assembly at the high school where a presentation would be made about citizenship and the importance of voting for local, state and federal candidates.

"It's important for them to know that their vote counts," Ms. Berge said. "Every vote counts. They need to understand that they are tomorrow's leaders."

Student Bojana Roman was one of the seniors who registered to vote during the lunch period last week.

"I think it's important to have a say in who's going to run for my town," Roman said. "I'd like to have my vote in."

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